“Anyone who belongs to God listens
gladly to the words of God.
But you don’t listen
because you don’t belong to God.”
John 8:47, NLT
Today as we focus on listening to God and answering when He calls, a phrase from a Christmas carol comes to my mind: “Do you hear what I hear?”
Belonging. My doll belonged to me and no one could take her from me. In fact, I still have her and she sits on the chest of drawers in my bedroom. I talked to her in my childhood and pretended she was talking back to me. We “knew” each other. The same holds true now with my cat even though she’s deaf. She knows me when she sees me and recognizes my touch. When a guest comes, she has to check them out before deciding if she’ll let them near her.
Belonging involves a connection between two or more people or objects. The beaters in my kitchen closet belong to the electric mixer. Pairs of things like shoes belong together. Individuals of a family belong together. If you are part of a group or organization, you say you belong to it. How is the connection with God? Do you belong to Him?
Hearing. Unless they’re deaf like my cat, everyone can hear the person in the room—or sometimes the neighbor way down the street! LOL Hearing just means you have ears and they work. You hear what the other person says, but that doesn’t mean you’re really listening nor that you’ll respond. It just means that your ears heard the words. Some people hear the Lord speaking but choose not to respond.
Listening. That’s a step above hearing. Now you not only hear the words, but you’re processing them in your brain and will respond in some fashion. You acknowledge what your ears hear and prepare to act accordingly. When you listen, you’re ready and willing to respond to what you heard.
Discerning. When I hear voices outside or someone comes to my door, I listen to see if I recognize them. Peepholes are no help when a person covers it up so if I don’t recognize the voice, I don’t answer the door. That’s how we must be when we hear a voice telling us to do something. We must discern if the voice is of an authentic person we know, and if it isn’t, don’t answer the “door” (respond to the voice).
Source. What is the source of the voice? When I have a voicemail on my phone, if the caller doesn’t say who they are and the message is cryptic or unrelated to anything I’m aware of, I just delete it. If it is from someone I know or about something I’m involved in, then I know I can trust the source. With so many spam and fraudulent telemarketers and political callers, it is difficult to know if there is any truth in what they are saying.
The voice of God does not usually come through sources like newspapers, magazines, and other secular resources, though sometimes God chooses to nudge us through them. God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, prayer, other Christians, and Christian publications. Don’t allow yourself to be influenced or led astray by sources that promote or allow decisions or activities that are not God-honoring and worthy of His blessing.
Unplugged. Things like cell phones and laptops only work for so long on battery before they need to be recharged. When I know a storm is heading my way, I plug in all my devices to charge so that if the electric goes out I can still use my devices for a period of time. That’s especially important when cell phone is your only source of communication in case of emergency. I always plug my phone in when I go to bed so that it’s fully charged for the next day. One morning I woke up and my phone was depleted because I discovered that the plug at the outlet had gotten disconnected (probably my cat tripped over the cord and pulled it out).
When we become unplugged from our spiritual source, God, or we never plugged into Him in the first place, we aren’t filled with the wisdom and knowledge He provides and are not drawing on the spiritual source of life needed for this life. If we aren’t plugged in to the source, we won’t be listening for His voice and won’t hear when He tries to speak to us.
“Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand!”
Matthew 11:15, NLT
Faith comes by hearing…more about that in the next post.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, help me to listen—really listen—for Your voice. Help me to hear, listen, and understand what You are saying to me each and every day.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
- Easter – resurrection and salvation